During an interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, WWE Superstar John Cena was shown a childhood photograph of himself holding a homemade wrestling championship. Cena identified the item as the “Championship of the Universe,” a title he created as a child fan of professional wrestling.
“Gosh, I gotta be six to eight,” Cena estimated regarding his age in the photo. “And the cool thing about this is these are made with the old printer paper that had the seams so you can see the electrical tape that holds this tape three pieces of paper together, because we would crayon in the belts”.
Cena explained the specific construction method required for the paper championships. “I learned early that if you don’t mess with the seams, the belts rip. So this is the, I believe, the championship of the universe, the most coveted championship we had”.
Connecting Past to Present
When asked what his current self would say to the child in the photograph, Cena rejected the premise of the question. He expressed concern that offering advice to his younger self might alter the “imagination” that fueled his eventual career.
“I don’t know if I can ride with that perspective, because what if, even if the person doesn’t look like me, what if a person interacts with this young man’s life and says, Hey, stick with it. You’re going to do this one day,” Cena reasoned. “I’m glad I thought it wasn’t a job, because the imagination in this kid’s face is real.”
Cena drew a direct parallel between the child holding a paper belt and the man who held the WWE Championship 17 times. He stated that his approach to holding a title has remained consistent throughout his life.
“I think what the me now is happy for when I look at this picture is the imagination in that person’s face. And like, I’m holding the f***ing championship of the universe for real. And I’ve never lost that,” Cena said. “Anytime I’ve held a piece of leather and gold, whatever the trophy is, when you see me hold it up, I am holding it for real”.
Cena used the photograph to illustrate his philosophy on performance, arguing that audiences can detect when a wrestler is not fully invested in their role.
“I believe and I wholeheartedly am authentic. If you think we booked it wrong, or if you didn’t get along with it, or if you criticize it, I ain’t phoning it in. Every single thing I do is with whole of heart. And I think that’s the common thread between this guy now and then that kid there,” Cena concluded.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Chris Van Vliet with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
